The present invention relates to a drum having an electromechanical servo assisted output, which is operable to improve the output amplitude characteristics of the drum.
A drum is possibly the simplest musical instrument, comprising an enclosure or shell of some kind, and a membrane (or head) stretched over an opening of the shell. Modern drums emerged in the late 1800s, and included a shell and one or two heads that were secured to the drum shell by a wooden or metal rim (or hoop) that served to fasten and tension the head to the shell. Machine screws extended through the rim into a series of metal fixtures (called lugs) that were attached around a periphery of the shell. In order to create a secure mounting structure for the lugs, the shell itself was fairly thick to provide enough strength to withstand the pull of the rim as the head was tensioned over the end of the shell.
The operational principle of a drum is fairly simple: drums are resonant systems, essentially Helmholtz resonators. Energy is imparted to the head by striking it with some type of object, such as a stick, mallet or a player's hand. The energy imparted to the head activates air inside the shell of the drum, thereby creating a resonant effect, which is recognizable as what is generally referred to as a drum beat. The maximum acoustic output of a drum is established by the passive structures of the drum construction, e.g., the size and mass of the shell, the size and tension of the drumhead(s), resonant characteristics, and other physical characteristics. Conventional drums today are of very similar construction and operation as the drums of the 1800s (and even those of thousands of years ago) and, therefore, include limitations of the level of acoustic power available from the drum.
Until just a few years ago, the drum was one of the loudest instruments in a band. But today's bands include high power amplifiers for guitars and basses (as well as amplified keyboards and synthesizers). Since the drummer in every band is depended on to set the beat, it is vital that (especially) the bass drum be heard by the other members of the band, as well as the audience. This has created the need for drummers to use microphones and auxiliary sound systems to amplify their drums, both to the drummer himself (drum monitor systems) and to project to the audience, enabling the drummer to be loud enough to be heard along with the other amplified instruments in the band.
The problem with amplifying the drums in a band is that it increases the complexity, amount of gear, sources of noise, etc., because one must employ an external microphone, amplifiers, monitors, extra speakers, etc. The potential for acoustic feedback from the monitors/speakers into the microphone(s) picking up the drum is significant because a microphone is a relatively wideband pickup and the amplification employed is significant.
Therefore, it is desirable to improve the output from a drum without requiring many, or any, external components, and to reduce the likelihood of feedback attendant with drum amplification.